I originally picked up the Neo United World Elite Mastercard specifically to serve as a backup to my primary Neo World Elite Mastercard. I needed a reliable secondary card “just in case” while travelling, and so far, it has sufficed perfectly in that role. However, if I didn’t already have a strong primary card, I don’t think the standalone rewards quite justify making this your main daily driver just yet.
Here is what I love about it, followed by a few areas where it leaves me wishing for more.
What I Love
The United Perks Make Sense: United is my preferred airline when travelling south of the border. Having dedicated benefits like priority boarding and a free checked bag on United-operated flights is the main reason this card earned a spot in my wallet.
No Foreign Transaction Fees (via Grow): Because I pair this card with Neo’s Grow Membership, my foreign transaction fees are completely refunded. This is an absolute game-changer for regular U.S. travel and makes it an incredibly cost-effective backup card when crossing the border.
The Neo App Experience: One of the best parts about getting another Neo card is that I don’t have to learn a new ecosystem. The Neo app remains incredibly user-friendly, and managing both of my Mastercards in one central place is completely seamless.
My Wishlist (Where it Falls Short)
While it works well as a safety net, I have a fair bit of wishful thinking for how Neo and United could make this card truly premium:
Paid Lounge Access Feels Cheap: While the card gives you a Mastercard Travel Pass (DragonPass), it only grants you access to buy a pass, rather than offering complimentary visits. Paying an annual fee just to be in a “pay-to-get-in” situation feels like a missed opportunity.
Frustrating Mile Redemption: Trying to actually find and book flights using the accumulated United MileagePlus miles is tougher than it should be. The award seat availability and search process could be much more intuitive.
Lack of Star Alliance Synergy with Air Canada: Because United and Air Canada are both Star Alliance members, I really wish the core airline benefits (like the free checked bag) carried over to Air Canada flights. Keeping the perks strictly locked to United-operated flights limits its utility for Canadian travellers.
Final Thoughts
If you already love the Neo app and frequently fly United Airlines to the U.S., this card is a solid, predictable companion piece to your wallet. It does exactly what I need it to do as a backup, but until the reward redemption simplifies and the lounge perks improve, it will likely stay in secondary position.
Have some tips and tricks? If so, please share it to me!
With an annual fee of $89, it’s not quite enough to include any free lounge access at all. Most big banks have World Elite Mastercard’s of annual fees around $120-$150 and they don’t include any lounge access. Furthermore, the free checked bag only being on United operated flights is just a standard limitation of airline credit cards. Whether it’s an Aeroplan, WestJet, Porter, or other airline’s credit card, it only includes free checked bags on flights operated by them.
If you book via United on an Air Canada operated flight (which they should offer), checked bags and other perks should carry over. Is it a benefit reserved for United-operated flights?
Honestly, I think you’re right. I don’t know the exact economics for lounges, but wonder if we can make the cards more modular, for people who really want that perk it might be worth it to up the fee or something and get a number of redemptions.
If the ticket includes a checked bag, then it will carry over to other airlines that you are going through such as Air Canada’s Star Alliance partners.
I feel like there should be multiple credit cards of various tiers. Airlines rarely only have one credit card and it would be great if Neo worked out something with United so you could have like 3 credit cards from basic to ultra-premium.
We have the BMO Ascend WE. The insurance package is excellent. This has been a long term hold for my wife for 16 years. Use the lounge access when travelling internationally.
We just cancelled the RBC Westjet card. To many issues with Westjet. The Westjet lounge in Calgary is excellent.
The quality of lounges is hugely dependent on which airport you’re in. I have access to lounges via the Visa Airport Companion Program on other cards and I mostly travel to Asia. I have experience with lounges in Vancouver, Toronto, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore and the Asian lounges are generally better than what we have in Canada.
